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What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

ashie62 Jan 31 2022 10:24 AM

I thoroughly enjoyed Kathy Valentine's "ALL I EVER WANTED" A terrific story about the Go Go's and the years and influences that brought her to the band. The chapters about her teenage years were equally rewarding. Nothing not to like here.

Fman99 Jan 31 2022 10:43 AM Re: Whar are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

About 80-90% of what I read is historical and non fictional and I will tell you, within that subset of books, that this one was particularly compelling and well written. The best writers turn these stories into page turners! https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41tCaa3iCEL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg>

Willets Point Jan 31 2022 11:28 AM Re: Whar are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Reading a fun memoir. https://pictures.abebooks.com/CWORLD/md/md20071518329.jpg>

The Hot Corner Jan 31 2022 07:23 PM Re: Whar are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

About 80-90% of what I read is historical and non fictional and I will tell you, within that subset of books, that this one was particularly compelling and well written. The best writers turn these stories into page turners! https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41tCaa3iCEL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg> I too, read predominantly nonfiction. I will have to check this one out.

ashie62 Feb 01 2022 05:38 AM Re: Whar are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Non fiction here also. I will give a shot. Thanks.

ashie62 Feb 26 2022 09:08 AM Re: Whar are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

It was written a long time ago but I read Jane Leavy's "Koufax." I got a good sense of the social fabric of America during the 50's and mid 60's. Simple things like did people prefer Sealtest or Carvel ice cream. Although Sandy did not sit for an interview with the author I felt a good sense of what made him tick. I did not expect anti-semitism to be such a major theme, if not the primary theme of the book. It's a quick read B Taking the above reco on the arctic exploration. I love that stuff. Kinda like "Into thin Air" about Everest. The level to which they stir up all they have to survive.

Johnny Lunchbucket Apr 29 2022 06:38 PM Re: Whar are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

The Hot Corner wrote: About 80-90% of what I read is historical and non fictional and I will tell you, within that subset of books, that this one was particularly compelling and well written. The best writers turn these stories into page turners! https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/41tCaa3iCEL._SX327_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg> I too, read predominantly nonfiction. I will have to check this one out. Hey I ran out of stuff to read on my vacation and destroyed this book. Especially good if you're ignorant about the details of this episode like me, even if you happened to research 1884 and see Greeley in the headlines a million times like me. Keep coming with good nonfiction plzz

Frayed Knot Jun 11 2022 07:53 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

At the first mention of the above book -- Labyrinth of Ice -- I was immediately reminded of one I read maybe a half dozen years ago: Kingdom of Ice. And now that I've read Labyrinth I know that not only was the subject matter similar but the exploration in 'Kingdom', which took place only a year or so earlier, was mentioned multiple times in 'Labyrinth' to the point where some of the participants were common to both. So for those who liked Labyrinth I'd recommend Kingdom as a great companion piece (I'm about to re-read it myself) and for those looking for narrative non-fiction I'd highly recommend just about anything from Hampton Sides, author of not only Kingdom but books on aspects of WWII, Korean War, the American west, the manhunt of MLK's killer, and more. If this guy were to write my obituary I'd look forward to reading it.

DocTee Jun 12 2022 05:40 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Gangsters of Capitalism: Smedley Butler, the Marines, and the Making and Unmaking of American Empire. JM Katz If you like history, foreign policy, and personal travelogue, written by a phenomenal journalist, this is it. Really exceptional book covering a lot of things (Boxer Rebellion, Tampico Incident, Haiti Incursion) about which most people know little.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 12 2022 07:03 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Thanks Doc, will look for it. I'm reading the new Ken Caminitti bio which has been well reviewed but imo so far is slow getting going. I feel like I've been reading for weeks and he just made his MLB debut, a little too much play by play from college and the minors. You know how it ends, and there's barely been a word about steroids yet. Very well researched yet seemed not to have left anything out... yet. Will give you an update. Rob Neyer's bio with Dale Scott-- the gay mlb umpire who wasn't a sketchy guy irl like Pallone--was enjoyable but a lot less gay than I would have thought 😉. Scott is a good storyteller.

whippoorwill Jul 14 2022 07:48 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Got this book while on vacation. Johnny Lunchbucket I know you have an interest in Delaware and there's a little story in here called the (Your last name) Heirs Apparently the fortune ran into the millions!

whippoorwill Jul 14 2022 07:51 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Btw the way, while googling the story, I see you are descended from Adam and Eve, and King Charlemagne

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 09:55 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

That story was a 19th century version of the Nigerian Prince internet scam.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 14 2022 11:58 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I'm reading the new Ken Caminitti bio which has been well reviewed but imo so far is slow getting going. I feel like I've been reading for weeks and he just made his MLB debut, a little too much play by play from college and the minors. You know how it ends, and there's barely been a word about steroids yet. Very well researched yet seemed not to have left anything out... yet. Will give you an update. It took me way too long to get through the Caminiti bio which I felt was almost overreported (really under-edited because it was well researched but a bit tedious also). Plus I didn't find myself as sympathetic to the subject as the author because I felt I could feel how hard a case he was trying to make that everyone admired Caminitti and took pity on him. On occasion, it almost felt as though it was just a matter of interviewing hundreds of people who wouldn't speak ill of the dead, but I don't really believe that. It does make a case for not overlooking his role as baseball's first believable steroid truther. So what you've got is a story about a drug-addicted athlete who was widely admired, and important, yet also tragic, which should have been juicy. Only it gets lost in too much detail, and a storyteller rooting too hard for his subject. As I may have mentioned elsewhere moved right onto RICKEY which I can already tell is a challenge for writer Howard Bryant who has to do it mostly in his own words and his own approach, but those are both good so far.

whippoorwill Jul 14 2022 12:51 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Frayed Knot wrote: That story was a 19th century version of the Nigerian Prince internet scam. Yeah but wouldn't it have been great? (Your Name Too,right?)

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 01:49 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

The scam, if I recall the story correctly, was that the land that became Wilmington DE had been taken from that family without compensation and this lawsuit was launched (well after the fact and wholly without merit) to get money "owed" to descendants plus a century or two of interest. That gave incentive for anyone who had that last name -- because of course everyone with the same name is related -- to be part of the suit and all they had to do was make a contribution to the legal team bringing the suit ... and you can easily see how that was going to end up. IIRC the first attempt at the scam petered out only to resurface years later looking for a whole new band of suckers. There actually were Springers in that area as far back as the late 1600s. Several brothers from a German/Swedish clan wound up there as present day Delaware was a certer of Swedish immigration to the new world for a time. My grandfather, who was obsessed with this kind of stuff, looked into whether there was a connection to us, going as far as writing to various government agencies in Stockholm, in those pre-internet days, asking for information on the original family. Our leading acorn, Lawrence, also arrived on these shores right around that same time and his name was sometimes given as the more Germanic-sounding Lorenz with an attempt to claim that he was a half-brother to the Delaware settlers. But he wandered ashore in present day Rhode Island and, while there's no definitive proof either way, was mostly likely of British origin and quite unrelated to the Delaware settlers. And, btw, I've seen a photocopy of his 1701 will and he spelled it Lawrence. Judging by the rest of the will either he, or whoever he was dictating it to, didn't know how to spell very much else but he at least got the name correct.

whippoorwill Jul 14 2022 02:39 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Aw I love the part about your grandfather! I guess you can't blame all these people for hoping it was true! The King Charlemagne part would have been kinda cool too…

Frayed Knot Jul 14 2022 03:22 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

=whippoorwill post_id=99741 time=1657831145 user_id=79] The King Charlemagne part would have been kinda cool too…

That part is likely hogwash too.

Turns out that there are -- wait for it -- questionable lines of lineage stemming from royal families!! So even the ones who think they are descendants of

Charlemagne probably aren't descendants of Charlemagne. I mean, some folks are but probably a small fraction of those who've heard they are.



Ancestry.com and others like it are great research tools for some -- an aunt on the other side of the family went whole hog into that and found second cousins

she never knew or knew about because only some of her grandmother's (12?) siblings immigrated from Belfast circa 1900 -- but there's also a ton of stuff in

there that's either speculation or just plain bullshit (or both) and those mistakes, known or innocent, get copied from tree to tree which tends to give them an

added appearance of accepted fact rather than what they really are which is oft-repeated rumor.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 16 2022 06:42 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Little known fake historical fact: his friends sometimes called him "Lar" or after a few beers, "Springadinga" Little known true historical fact: the distant relatives my aunt found in Belfast, look totally like everyone on that side of the family

whippoorwill Jul 16 2022 02:26 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Speaking of wrong information…my mom says her dad swore he wasn't related to a guy with the same last name on the other side of town, but the family record proves they were brothers So going by my grandfather's statement, it would change the whole family tree. I guess there some bad blood there!

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 24 2022 09:22 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jul 24 2022 11:48 AM

https://d31029zd06w0t6.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/sites/54/2022/07/web1_AP22186466309484.jpg> Not quite as advertised, but this was a fun read if you like "Bull Durham," and I do. I read an interview with Shelton where he said he couldn't watch the movie for 10 years because of how difficult it was to make, and the battles with and over actors and other difficulties. Honestly, it didn't seem like the battles were that bad. There was one exec who kept pushing for Anthony Michael Hall instead of Robbins.* But the rest seemed didn't seem exceptionally difficult. But it's a fun peek about how movies are made and some of the decisions that went into this one, including scenes that were cut for various reasons. It did generate a catch phrase that we started using in the office before I even finished the book, "a lie within industry standards." *Thank you, Edgy!

Edgy MD Jul 24 2022 11:12 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I can work with Anthony-Michael Hall as Nuke, but he seems like he'd be all wrong for Crash. He would have been like 19, no?

Marshmallowmilkshake Jul 24 2022 11:48 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Edgy MD wrote: I can work with Anthony-Michael Hall as Nuke, but he seems like he'd be all wrong for Crash. He would have been like 19, no? You are correct! I meant to type Nuke.

Frayed Knot Jul 24 2022 11:59 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

So if that were the case, would Susan Sarandon then have not married A. M. Hall instead of not marrying Tim Robbins?

metsmarathon Jul 26 2022 10:50 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

we should have a running database of books that everybody's read, with starred ratings. i'm not volunteering to do this, by the way. i just read this book. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/418IzfH7-GL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_FMwebp_.jpg> The First Conspiracy, by Brad Meltzer do not read this book. it is probably the book that i hate the most, ever. even more than the one baby board book that had a rainbow with the colors out of order, and no blue. it is awful. zero stars. it's got maybe, MAYBE fifty pages of actual story and information. the rest of it reads as a breathless history channel pseudoscience bullshit clickbait show where they're hunting for sasquatch's collection of alien artifacts hidden in a pocket dimension accessible only by sprinkling unicorn blood onto the sacrificial altar at the center of el dorado. it's so desperate to keep your attention that, at every chapter, it reminds you why you're reading the book. as if you've forgotten since the last time you turned a page. and it's so utterly lacking in confidence that the audience is actually interested in the story, that it has to drop spoilery cliffhanger bullshit at the end of each chapter. of which there are 85. a good 50% of the book or more is reminding you why you're wasting your time reading this book, with another 25% hoping to convince you to keep reading. i'm overly generous in claiming that 25% of the book is actual story. it probably could have been an essay. maybe a long magazine article. or it could have been a hell of a lot better book if it actually included ancillary details, like why this one thing is important, what this one person who was just introduced also did, something. anything. to add context, aside from constantly reminding us, the reader, who is presumably an american over the age of seven, that the conspiracy - which is to kill george washington - which the book frequently treats as a shocking revelation despite being in the subtitle of the damned book - would be ruinous and disastrous to the success of the revolution, with unknowable consequences should it be successful. it doesn't delve into what that potential outcome could look like, of course. in fact, it barely scratches the surface of what happened as a result of the conspiracy, nor, really too much information related to the investigation into it. and it wraps up remarkably fast with little follow-on. i don't truly believe the author believed that the story he was telling was one worth reading all the way through, or he didn't trust the reader to be interested in a more contextually complete story. maybe it's meant to be read on your daily bus ride, for those times when you've already solved today's wordle (with hints from the internet, because, damn, who even knows that many words?!). who knows. all that really happened as a result from this book is my wife telling me, 'i told you you'd hate it' (she'd read it before, and also hated it. and warned me. but i foolishly picked it up anyway, i think forgetting her recommendation), as well as me wanting to pick up and reread the far, far, far superior 1776 which has so much more detail and information and history that this pathetic rag. i forget if it even mentions this escapade. now that was a good revolutionary war book.

Edgy MD Jul 26 2022 06:53 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

++

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 27 2022 05:53 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

we should have a running database of books that everybody's read, with starred ratings. i'm not volunteering to do this, by the way. i just read this book. https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/418IzfH7-GL._SY291_BO1,204,203,200_QL40_FMwebp_.jpg> The First Conspiracy, by Brad Meltzer do not read this book. it is probably the book that i hate the most, ever. even more than the one baby board book that had a rainbow with the colors out of order, and no blue. it is awful. zero stars. it's got maybe, MAYBE fifty pages of actual story and information. the rest of it reads as a breathless history channel pseudoscience bullshit clickbait show where they're hunting for sasquatch's collection of alien artifacts hidden in a pocket dimension accessible only by sprinkling unicorn blood onto the sacrificial altar at the center of el dorado. it's so desperate to keep your attention that, at every chapter, it reminds you why you're reading the book. as if you've forgotten since the last time you turned a page. and it's so utterly lacking in confidence that the audience is actually interested in the story, that it has to drop spoilery cliffhanger bullshit at the end of each chapter. of which there are 85. a good 50% of the book or more is reminding you why you're wasting your time reading this book, with another 25% hoping to convince you to keep reading. i'm overly generous in claiming that 25% of the book is actual story. it probably could have been an essay. maybe a long magazine article. or it could have been a hell of a lot better book if it actually included ancillary details, like why this one thing is important, what this one person who was just introduced also did, something. anything. to add context, aside from constantly reminding us, the reader, who is presumably an american over the age of seven, that the conspiracy - which is to kill george washington - which the book frequently treats as a shocking revelation despite being in the subtitle of the damned book - would be ruinous and disastrous to the success of the revolution, with unknowable consequences should it be successful. it doesn't delve into what that potential outcome could look like, of course. in fact, it barely scratches the surface of what happened as a result of the conspiracy, nor, really too much information related to the investigation into it. and it wraps up remarkably fast with little follow-on. i don't truly believe the author believed that the story he was telling was one worth reading all the way through, or he didn't trust the reader to be interested in a more contextually complete story. maybe it's meant to be read on your daily bus ride, for those times when you've already solved today's wordle (with hints from the internet, because, damn, who even knows that many words?!). who knows. all that really happened as a result from this book is my wife telling me, 'i told you you'd hate it' (she'd read it before, and also hated it. and warned me. but i foolishly picked it up anyway, i think forgetting her recommendation), as well as me wanting to pick up and reread the far, far, far superior 1776 which has so much more detail and information and history that this pathetic rag. i forget if it even mentions this escapade. now that was a good revolutionary war book. It was worth it to read that review though! LOL

Edgy MD Jul 27 2022 09:31 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

It's probably marathon's greatest non-m.e.t.b.o.t. post, since his "woman's truck" post at the MOFo. And that's saying something.

whippoorwill Jul 27 2022 11:20 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I'd like to see that one. I don't think I remember it

Edgy MD Jul 27 2022 12:28 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

It was after we had started the Crane Pool. A poster arrived at the MOFo, named Piazza4Prez, who was a more naïve version of Paulie Cee. He lived in the central New York area and he was a muscle-flexin' tru' 'Merican. He worked his truck into his posts as often as he could. Everything about this guy's understanding of himself was tied up in this stupid fucking truck. If you disagreed with him, it was go time. He would literally threaten to take you out with his truck. "Try saying that to me when I've got my Chevy Silverado, asshole!!" Like he was literally threatening to run you down in cold blood. Always with the make and model explicitly stated, as if the words "Chevy Silverado" were supposed to make rooms hush and hearts skip a beat. It was so stupid that it took the room a week or two to realize, my God, this character isn't kidding. Even Paulie, who had, like, 33% self-awareness, was giving him the side-eye. I wasn't even posting anymore, but I lurked now and then. People would calmly and detachedly, slowly and carefully, suggest that it would be a good idea to take it down a notch, and then he'd open up on them. "You're just afraid of me and my truck, asshole!" Since there was no talking him down, marathon, in his excellence, just responded with his shitty punctuation and logical jiu-jitsu: "that's all good ... but you know that's a woman's truck, right?" Piazza4Prez went ballistic. marathon didn't know what he was talking about, and was just too pathetic and weak to respect the truck, and if he posted something that upset Piazza4Prez, shit was apparently gonna go down for real. Woman's truck, indeed!! You stupid fuckface, I'll kill you!! Those aren't his actual words, but he did openly threaten murder, probably to over a half-dozen posters at once. It was the sort of thing that might inspire a person or two to start their own forum. But that person wasn't marathon. Talking trucks with an engineer = bad idea. marathon coolly responded as he went, line for line, through the specs on the model year of P4P's Silverado, feature by feature, listing the available colors, the official MPG, the number of cup holders, the AC positioning, the storage spaces made for handbags, the luxurious cleanable seat upholstery, the vanity mirrors on BOTH sun visors. And then he finished with his coup d'grace, something along the lines of: "i don't know if this is going to bring you the epiphany you surely need. more likely, you're going to threaten to run me down in the street along with everyone else. but in your heart of hearts you'll know — you'll be doing it in a woman's truck." Everyone from every bitter wing of the MOFo came together in joy and laughter. If a crowd of forumites could run through a forum with a poster on their shoulders, that's what would have happened. I had either canceled my profile or forgotten my login info, so I created a new profile just to log in and give marathon a pat on the back. It was probably the last moment the MOFo was even remotely unified.

metsmarathon Jul 27 2022 12:34 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

ho lee shit, i almost... almost forgot about that. but it's all flooding back to me now. my biggest regret from the mofo is that i never copied down my "i like big trucks and i cannot lie" parody. :sadface

Frayed Knot Jul 27 2022 02:42 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I remember all kinds of stuff from that site ... but not even a hint of that story. I may have been on hiatus.

whippoorwill Jul 27 2022 03:51 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Me too. I love the part about storage spaces for handbags!

Johnny Lunchbucket Jul 27 2022 11:40 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I do feel like I did know something like that but would never have remembered. Nor know why, or the details of that, like what the poster's name was or even who said. Or any of the background et etc. But the part of the reply with the truck takedown I only needed to read a few words that that bit all came back. It was unexpected funny, used the guy and his own words to identify what was most vulnerable and just tear it to shreds. It like like artwork and it basically destroyed the guy as a character so soundly, all pretty much just as described. That's next-levvel memory

kcmets Jul 28 2022 06:47 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

[BLOCKQUOTE]"i don't know if this is going to bring you the epiphany you surely need. more likely, you're going to threaten to run me down in the street along with everyone else. but in your heart of hearts you'll know — you'll be doing it in a woman's truck."[/BLOCKQUOTE] Solid platinum.

whippoorwill Jul 31 2022 11:50 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I've been reading this

whippoorwill Jul 31 2022 04:41 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I've been reading this...it's been on my bookshelf for a while and I thought I already ready it, but I don't think so. It is SUPER! Did one of you guys write it or recommend it? Because I don't remember why I have it, but I'm glad I do

Edgy MD Jul 31 2022 08:26 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I recently read The Bomber Mafia, by best-selling Canadian-American guy Malcolm Gladwell. Gladwell is known as a social scientist, so a military history is a departure for him, but he can't help himself and frames his subject through the lenses of the social sciences. Basically, he looks at World War II — the endgame in particular — as a race between two competing ethics: high-altitude precision bombing, and scorched-earth firebombing. A generation of air strategists try to perfect the former as the more humane way to end a war — targeting high-value industrial targets — while the alternative (leveling and torching population centers) is completely horrific, but a counter argument says that its very horror makes it more humane because it motivates the enemy to surrender more quickly. The two ethics are embodied by two developing technologies. One is a high-altitude scope that, when perfected, should allow bombers to hit factories and key choke points from well outside of the range of anti-aircraft weapons, but perfecting it takes time, as altitude, speed, and varying wind speeds, among other factors, must be accounted for. The competing technology, developed mostly by accident at DuPont, is the first generation of Napalm.

Frayed Knot Oct 28 2022 05:45 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

After careful consideration (about a half-second's worth) I've decided to pass on the new Matthew Perry autobio.

Marshmallowmilkshake Oct 28 2022 06:10 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41FuNhyZH4L._SL350_.jpg> I read this one during my recent trip to visit the folks. It's not as heavy as you might think. Kind of a breezy read. Was actually hoping for a little more detail.

Edgy MD Oct 28 2022 07:20 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Frayed Knot wrote: After careful consideration (about a half-second's worth) I've decided to pass on the new Matthew Perry autobio. Man, is it possible for a book to get more publicity? Every third story in my news feeds is either a promo for that or Bob Woodward's Trump interview audiobook. I want Perry's publicist working for me.

Frayed Knot Oct 28 2022 09:58 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Edgy MD wrote: Man, is it possible for a book to get more publicity? Every third story in my news feeds Yeah, that's pretty much what triggered my post. But, who knows, now that Tom and Gisele have apparently filed for divorce maybe Perry will suddenly find that not even media outlets care about a litany of who he was fucking and what drugs he was talking while filming FRIENDS.

Frayed Knot Dec 27 2022 05:45 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021 Edited 2 time(s), most recently on Dec 31 2022 05:59 PM

My 2022 list is complete as of about an hour ago. THE PREMONITION: A Pandemic Story — Michael Lewis (2021) *** Kind of an odd book in that Lewis says it grew out of his previous one about the value of government workers, then turns out as one where gov't outsiders wind up doing the most good. The CDC, for instance, doesn't come off real well here. SIDECOUNTRY: Tales of Death and Life from the Back Roads of Sports — John Branch (2021) ***-1/2 A collection of short and long form pieces from the fringes of the sports world [everything from mountain climbing to horseshoes] by a NYT writer. FALSE ALARM: How Climate Change Panic Costs us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet — Bjorn Lomborg (2021) **** Danish political scientist agrees with the existence and causes of climate change but not always the most commonly cited solutions. OUR FIRST CIVIL WAR: Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution — H. W. Brands (2021) **** Separation from England was not a universal dream among Americans. FREE SPEECH: A History from Socrates to Social Media — Jacob Mchangama (2022) *** The main point is that freer speech always tends to make societies better, even when imperfect in its application. SCOUNDREL: How a Convicted Murderer Persuaded the Woman Who Loved Him, the Conservative Establishment and the Courts to Set Him Free — Sarah Weinman (2022) *** A story with which I was totally unfamiliar: a convicted murderer in N.J. somehow gets the attention of William F. Buckley and a handful of others who are irrationally convinced of his innocence. OFF THE EDGE: Flat Earthers, Conspiracy Culture, and Why People Will Believe Anything — Kelly Weill (2022) **-1/2 Focusing mostly on flat-earthers during the internet age as a kind of parallel to how easily people will buy unproven and unprovable political and social theories as well. ORIGIN: A Genetic History of the Americas — Jennifer Raff (2022) **-1/2 Trying to use science to explain the when and how the Americas became populated. Reading science books so overly concerned with political correctness has become tiresome. THE FAR LAND: 200 Years of Murder, Mania, and Mutiny in the South Pacific — Brandon Presser (2022) *** A travel writer gives the back story of the HMS Bounty mutiny and aftermath, and then travels to Pitcairn Island to spend time with the 48 descendants of the mutineers who currently live on a hunk of rock about the size of Central Park about as far away from anything as one can get on this planet. WATERGATE: A NEW HISTORY — Garrett Graff (2022) ***-1/2 With an eye looking back at the events that led up to the infamous break-in and subsequent cover-up, the author shows how the seeds were sewn long before '72 even as it's still unclear who specifically ordered the break-in or why. THE GULF: The Making of an American Sea — Jack E. Davis (2017) *** A history of the Gulf, mostly from an environmental point of view, from its creation to Spanish colonization to the present. ONE PERSON, ONE VOTE: The Surprising History of Gerrymandering in America — Nick Seabrook (2022) *** From the infamous Mr. Gerry himself up through more sophisticated methods now. ISAAC'S STORM: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History — Erik Larson (1999) ***-1/2 It was 1900 when Galveston, TX was a booming city and weather forecasting was an emerging science. Then a storm hit. PATH LIT BY LIGHTNING: The Life of Jim Thrope — David Maraniss (2022) ***-1/2 Full cradle to grave bio of the ups and downs (self-induced or otherwise) of the great early 20th century athlete. THE MILKY WAY: An Autobiography of Our Galaxy — Moiya McTier (2022) *** Quirky astrophysicist writes a history of the Milky Way from the point of view of the galaxy itself. A bit odd, but it worked. A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE EARTH: Four Billion Years in Eight Chapters — Andrew H. Knoll (2021) *** Pretty much what the title/sub-title says: a scientific examination of our planet's journey from swirling dust through the present. POWERS AND THRONES: A New History of the Middle Ages — Dan Jones (2022) **** Filling in the gaps in my knowledge of the time between the fall of Rome and the renaissance. A LOT of people get slaughtered. (Fiction) THE WINNERS — Fredrik Backman **** The third and final book in Backman's series on youth hockey's outsized role in the rivalry between two northern Swedish towns too close to each other and too far from everything else. Great characters, great writing. THE MOSQUITO BOWL: A Game of Life and Death in World War II — Buzz Bissinger (2022) **** The title refers to a bragging-rights football game played by college and even NFL players turned Marines on Guadalcanal. Initially cautious about this book from a fear of it being one long football-as-war analogy, but the football angle really just gives the author a group on which to focus and is really about what happens after the game when the participants wind up in the subsequent fight for Okinawa.

The Hot Corner Dec 27 2022 06:19 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

The Winners by Fredrik Backman was a wonderful final installment of his outstanding three book series on the towns and inhabitants of Beartown & Hed. I hate that there will not be a 4th installment. I have faith that Mr. Backman will come up with something else to captivate and engross me in the future. The Mosquito Bowl caught my attention a few weeks ago, while looking for something to read. I will have to pick that up in the near future.

Johnny Lunchbucket Dec 28 2022 07:46 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

My year end list: SO HERE IT IS, Dave Hill --former Slade guitarist memoirs. accidentally purchased for me by Lunchpail who knew I wanted to read... DAVE HILL DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE, Dave Hill --The American comic/musician talks about his Dad. This guy is very funny SINGLED OUT: The True Story of Glenn Burke, Andrew Maraniss --pretty good, pretty sad TERROR IN THE CITY OF CHAMPIONS: Murder, Baseball, and the Secret Society That Shocked Depression-Era Detroit, Tom Stanton --Klan activity juxtaposed with baseball TWO STEPs FORWARD, ONE STEP BACK: My Life in the Music Business, Miles Copeland --I.R.S. Records founder dishes on the biz and the misadventures, and explains at least twice why he hates Tracey Chapman. A little indulgent but up my alley THE BOYS, Ron Howard --I enjoyed Cunningham's memoir of growing up in showbiz THE PREMONITION: A Pandemic Story, Michael Lewis --discussed above LEAVE THE GUN, TAKE THE CANNOLI: The Epic Story of the Making on the Godfather Mark Seal --not bad (fiction) FLORIDA ROADKILL, Tim Dorsey --crime fiction set against 1997 Marlins World Series LABYRINTH OF ICE: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition, Buddy Levy, --a CPF reco I very much enjoyed GAME SIX, Mark Frost --no not that game 6, or the other one, but the 1975 World Series. Enjoyable THE UMPIRE IS OUT: Calling the Game and Living My True Self, Dale Scott with Rob Neyer --I remarked before this book is hardly gay at all; Scott you can tell is an irl fun storyteller and some of it comes across here PLAYING THROUGH THE PAIN: Ken Caminitti and the Steroid Confession that Changed Baseball Forever, Dan Good --I did not like this book and at times hated it but it redeems itself a little at the end. Too much detail early, too much sympathy for the subject RICKEY: The Life and Legend of an American Original, Howard Bryant --I thought this was outstanding as a topic --and hit with me as I didn't appreciate Rickey in his time. Bryant hammers you white ignoramuses with it HELLHOUND OH HIS TRAIL: The Electrifying Account of the Largest Manhunt in American History, Hampton Sides --on the assassination of King and pursuit of Ray. A CPF reco I enjoyed ON DESPERATE GROUND: The Marines at The Reservoir, the Korean War's Greatest Battle, Hampton Sides --Incredible story of deadly military hijinx OCCUPY THIS BODY: A Buddhist Memoir, Sharon A Suh --I wouldn't normally pick this up except it was written by my childhood friend Eugene's sister and concerns a harrowing childhood I had no idea about. I'm sort of in it in the background. Very good. THE WINNERS, Frederik Backman --as discussed above great story AN UNQUIET MIND: A Memoir of Moods and Madness, Kay Redfield Jamison --they give this to you when you're diagnosed bipolar: She's a scientist studying the mind who's also a victim FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS, H.G. Bissinger --Finally read this. I had no idea it was written so long ago. New afterword updates where are they now. STILL ALRIGHT, Kenny Loggins with Jason Turbow --I'm about 33% through. Loggins talks and talks. Turbow wrote 2 baseball books I liked, he's expanding to rock-star memoirs

Fman99 Dec 28 2022 09:45 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I failed to keep a list this year. I got tired of trying to remember to record what I read.

TransMonk Dec 30 2022 09:27 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

[fimg=1400]https://i.imgur.com/SrieDmh.jpg[/fimg] I got through 79 books in 2022. Some of my favorites were: THE DIVIDER: TRUMP IN THE WHITE HOUSE, 2017-2021 - Peter Baker QUIT: THE POWER OF KNOWING WHEN TO WALK AWAY - Annie Duke THE PERSUADERS: AT THE FRONT LINES OF THE FIGHT FOR HEARTS, MINDS, AND DEMOCRACY - Anand Giridharadas CONFIDENCE MAN: THE MAKING OF DONALD TRUMP AND THE BREAKING OF AMERICA - Maggie Haberman PARTISANS: THE CONSERVATIVE REVOLUTIONARIES WHO REMADE AMERICAN POLITICS IN THE 1990S - Nicole Hemmer THE DISPLACEMENTS - Bruce Holsinger THE NINETIES - Chuck Klosterman THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVITUDE: DONALD TRUMP'S WASHINGTON AND THE PRICE OF SUBMISSION - Mark Leibovich THIS WILL NOT PASS: TRUMP, BIDEN AND THE BATTLE FOR AMERICAN DEMOCRACY - Jonathan Martin I'M GLAD MY MOM DIED - Jennette McCurdy WOKE RACISM: HOW A NEW RELIGION HAS BETRAYED BLACK AMERICA - John McWhorter WHY WE DID IT: A TRAVELOGUE FROM THE REPUBLICAN ROAD TO HELL - Tim Miller THE STORM IS HERE: AN AMERICAN CRUCIBLE - Luke Mogelson ALLOW ME TO RETORT: A BLACK GUY'S GUIDE TO THE CONSTITUTION - Elie Mystal COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY DRAMA - Bob Odenkirk THE LOOP: HOW TECHNOLOGY IS CREATING A WORLD WITHOUT CHOICES AND HOW TO FIGHT BACK - Jacob Ward

whippoorwill Dec 30 2022 12:22 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

This year, 2023, I am going to try to keep track

cal sharpie Dec 31 2022 09:41 AM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Read 65 books this year. There is a chance I will finish one more today but will reconfigure if I do finish it. PARIS TROUT – Pete Dexter HIPPIE – Paulo Coelho COFFEELAND – Augustine Sedgewick FAITHFUL PLACE – Tana French THIS SIDE OF BRIGHTNESS – Colum McCann THE 1619 PROJECT – Nikole Hannah Jones (ed) THE MARS ROOM – Rachel Kushner WAYWARD – Dana Spiotta HELL OF A BOOK – Jason Mott THE CALIPH'S HOUSE – Tahir Shah AN ARTIST OF THE FLOATING WORLD – Kazuo Ishiguro WRITERS AND LOVERS – Lily King THE LINCOLN HIGHWAY – Amor Towles BROKEN HARBOR – Tana French THE PAGES – Hugo Hamilton NIGHT OF CAMP DAVID – Fletcher Knebel RULES OF CIVILITY – Amor Towles TELEX FROM CUBA – Rachel Kushner A TIME OUTSIDE THIS TIME – Amitava Kumar I WAS BETTER LAST NIGHT – Harvey Fierstein THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO – Alexandre Dumas HOW TO DO NOTHING – Jenny Odell TIMBUKTU – Paul Auster BRAVE NEW WORLD – Aldous Huxley MISTER MONKEY – Francine Prose THE VANISHING HALF – Brit Bennett THAT OLD COUNTRY MUSIC – Kevin Barry SEA OF TRANQUILITY – Emily St. John Mandel THE SECRETS WE KEPT – Lara Prescott AMERICAN KOMPROMAT – Craig Unger BORN A CRIME – Trevor Noah BORSTAL BOY – Brendan Behan THE CANDY HOUSE – Jennifer Egan BALLPARK – Paul Goldberger LOBOTOMY -- Dee Dee Ramone SMALL WORLD – Jonathan Evison YOUR BAND SUCKS – Jon Fine THE ORIENTALIST – Tom Reiss ALL THAT FOLLOWS – Jim Crace CRYING IN H-MART – Michelle Zauner HITLER: DOWNFALL – Volker Ullrich 2666 – Roberto Bolano THE BIG ROCK CANDY MOUNTAIN – Wallace Stegner THE CHEMISTRY OF TEARS – Peter Carey OLIVE, AGAIN – Elizabeth Strout FELICIA'S JOURNEY – William Trevor MERCURY PICTURES PRESENTS – Anthony Marra DIRT – Bill Buford THE LAST WHITE MAN – Mohsin Hamid CROSS CHANNEL – Julian Barnes UNFORGIVABLE BLACKNESS – Geoffrey C. Ward CONFIDENCE MAN – Maggie Haberman DESTINATION: MORGUE – James Ellroy LIBERATION DAY – George Saunders SWEET CARESS – William Boyd NUMBERS IN THE DARK – Italo Calvino DOCTOR ZHIVAGO – Boris Pasternak DEACON KING KONG – James McBride SEVEN EMPTY HOUSES – Samanta Schweblin ARABIAN SANDS – Wilfred Thesiger THE CLEARING – Tim Gautreaux UNLESS – Carol Shields HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD – Robert Kolker LIVING – Henry Green GULAG: A HISTORY – Anne Applebaum A few books to note: COFFEELAND. A pretty fascinating look at the coffee industry and how it grew, focusing on El Salvador. The kind of non-fiction I prefer, something I know almost nothing about (also applies to THE CALIPH'S HOUSE, THE ORIENTALIST, ARABIAN SANDS and GULAG. THE 1619 PROJECT. Loved how it exploded so many myths about the Founding Fathers and how pissed off it got so many politicians. AMERICAN KOMPROMAT and CONFIDENCE MAN. I did read two Trump books this year and won't do so anymore. This kind of recent history isn't what I look for as following the news closely gets me what I need. 2666. A gigantic, amazing book. A 400-page section deals with murders of women in Mexico and is tough going but really this is one of the novels of the 21st century that will be read long from now. Other novels or short story collections I loved this year include THE MARS ROOM, THE PAGES, SWEET CARESS, LIBERATION DAY, SEVEN EMPTY HOUSES, UNLESS and LIVING.

Frayed Knot Dec 31 2022 01:02 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

cal sharpie wrote: GULAG: A HISTORY – Anne Applebaum She writes extensively on eastern bloc history/issues and has a more recent one (2017) that I plan to dive into soon: RED FAMINE, about the Stalin-induced starvation of Ukraine. Putin certainly isn't the first Russian leader (actually Georgian in Stalin's case) with whom that the Ukrainians have had issues. It's been more a long smoldering grudge than a sudden outrage. AMERICAN KOMPROMAT and CONFIDENCE MAN. I did read two Trump books this year and won't do so anymore. Kinda where I'm at too. I read three in 2021 (though neither of the above), mostly dealing with the final year of his Presidency, and figure that was enough for me. No knock on any of the books and I'm sure each one contains fresh outrages from slightly different sources than the others. But there's only so much wallowing in Trump hate I plan to do.

metsmarathon Dec 31 2022 03:36 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I don't have my list with me. I read 4 books this year, the last one being that stupid Brad meltzer book. I think it broke me for reading lol. I'm in the middle of two different books actually. The baseball 100 by joe posnanski and what if by Randall Monroe - the xkcd guy. Both are interesting but neither has a narrative draw so they're entirely too easy to put down and not pick up. I want to read more in ‘23 but we'll see what happens

The Hot Corner Jan 01 2023 01:28 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

2022 1. Baseball 100 by Joe Posnanski 2. The Soul of Baseball: A Road Trip Through Buck O'Neil's America by Joe Posnanski 3. Comeback Season by Cam Perron with Nick Chiles 4. Americana by Hampton Sides 5. The Body by Bill Bryson 6. The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam 7. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Kimmerer 8. Walt Disney: The Triumph of American Imagination by Neal Gabler 9. Madhouse at the End of the Earth: The Belgica's Journey into the Dark Antartic Night by Julian Sancton 10. Labyrinth of Ice: The Triumphant and Tragic Greely Polar Expedition by Buddy Levy 11. Blood & Treasure: Daniel Boone and the Fight For America's First Frontier by Bob Drury 12. The Last Icon: Tom Seaver & His Times by Steven Travers 13. River of the Gods: Genius, Courage, and Betrayal in the Search for the Source of the Nile by Candice Millard 14. The Last Icon: Tom Seaver and His Times by Steven Travers 15. Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Succeed by Jared Diamond 16. American Brutus by William Kauffman 17. The Big Burn by Timothy Egan 18. K – A history of Baseball in Ten Pitches by Tyler Kapner 19. The Winners by Fredrik Backman 20. Prisoners of the Castle by Ben Macintyre 21. The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan The titles in bold are books that I found particularly interesting and/or enjoyable. A rather slow reading year for me. Mainly because I was physically exhausted most of the fall (from early August into early December) and I couldn't read long without falling asleep. Feeling much better, the past few weeks and slowly getting back to a more normal routine. Hope to get back to a more normal reading output in 2023.

Edgy MD Jan 01 2023 03:48 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

I feel like we may need to have a The Winners discussion group.

Frayed Knot Jan 01 2023 04:52 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

The Hot Corner wrote: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben Macintyre This guy has written several (non-fiction) cold war era spy books that I've liked, most notably 'A Spy Among Friends' on infamous British spy Kim Philby and other secret upper-crust English communists. Hadn't heard about this one though I'll have to check it out.

The Hot Corner Jan 01 2023 06:26 PM Re: What are we Reading 2022 split from 2021

Frayed Knot wrote: The Hot Corner wrote: Prisoners of the Castle by Ben Macintyre This guy has written several (non-fiction) cold war era spy books that I've liked, most notably 'A Spy Among Friends' on infamous British spy Kim Philby and other secret upper-crust English communists. Hadn't heard about this one though I'll have to check it out. I had previously read two of his books (Agent ZigZag & The Spy and the Traitor) and enjoyed them both. I believe Prisoners of the Castle is his latest work. It is an in depth look and the personalities and the indomitable human spirit of the allied prisoners in Nazi Germany's maximum security POW camp. I will have to check out A Spy Among Friends.